ASD and ADHD

[Lunadog1]

My gorgeous 6 year old Grandson has ASD diagnosed when he was 3 years old and more recently been diagnosed with ADHD. He was commenced on methylphenidate 5mg twice a day 8 weeks ago.

It was changed to Medikinet XL (slow release) and more recently it was increased to 10 mg daily.

His behaviour has changed from the start of his treatment to being very emotional and anxious, also extremely destructive and he is slapping and pinching us.

This is the briefest of outlines as I keep loosing my posts that have been heart felt and have taken me ages to write. It is my first post and I would be very grateful for any advise re medication from any one who has experience. Thankyou

[Aspen797]

Stimulant medications like you describe can be very helpful for attention and impulse control. Unfortunately some children do not respond well to them and can become anxious, pick their skin, etc. Often a different brand of stimulant may work better. Sometimes a non stimulant may be better. Just from personal experience and hearing from other parents of kids with ASD and ADD, however, you might want to consider asking about guanfacine/intuniv. It is a second line of treatment if stimulants have unwanted side effects. Many children with ASD tend to be less anxious with guanfacine and more emotionally regulated. Attention is still not the greatest, but the improvement is emotional regulation can sometimes make up for it. For our family, we ended up with a combined approach, but I believe the UK prefers monotherapy? Anyway, something to consider. What a lucky boy to have such a caring grandmother.

Ps. Some children on the spectrum have been found to have difficulty processing folate through folic acid. For those particular kids, b complex with both methylfolate and methycobalamin can have a positive behavioral effect within four or five months. If you don’t see an effect by then, you can stop and assume that your child processes fine on their own. Your pediatrician can advise if this is a good course for you.

[Lunadog1 in reply to Aspen797]

That is so helpful. Thankyou

[eva2022]

Hello! My six-year old son has ASD and ADHD, too. We tried two different medications and the second one was a good match to help my son control his impulses. In my experience, pediatricians help a lot with finding the right medication as long as you communicate clearly the changes you see in your grandson.

[Lunadog1]

Thankyou for your help Eva . I'm just curious, which medication did you find a good match for your son? I hope he is doing well!